Hot top



Aug- 3 1933- w. M. CHARMAN 1,921,732

HOT TOPv Filed Jan. 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i if Y 23 f/f Z if, Z' /f 2 fi ijf/f2.3 ,f/ 20 Z S f 34 ,l 'z2 l i, z8 0 Z4 3 56 i; z3 2' ,f

7 Fg. I. 35 a j; 23 20 f'/ 1/ l i i 5, 22 5, f 30 ,f I .A 2 Z3 2j x', 5 f/,A o, 45 F3. .5.

' 23`v i, 47 F5' 7' 5o 4 9 5o f 50 if ,L 4" i Immtors w 43 5MM WM Aug. 8, 1933. M. CHARMAN 1,921,732

HOT TOP Filed Jan. 28. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /40' 4o '2s' 30 rjfv ,l I /za ifi/EOE /o i132/ 40 .Z8 ,3,

3 L-J 33' 39 F fz F- z3 14 zlzzverzfo MMMCZMW.

fmmmv-m HOT 4TOP Filed Jan. 28, 1951 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- Application January 28, 1931.

15 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hot tops, and has to do principally with a ledge construction at the bottom of the hot top casing for supporting the upper course of lining material and with means for permitting the discharge of gases formed when the lower lining material is heated by the molten metal.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an auxiliary ledge adapted to cover and protect the primary ledge member, arranged to be detached and replaced when circumstances require it, and adapted to increase materially the life of the casing and linings.

Another object of the invention is the provision in apparatus lof this character of securing means which shall be adapted to fail when subjected to extraordinary strains, so that if the ledge member through any mishap should be frozen to the ingot the hot top proper may nevertheless be removed without damage to the major part of the casing or the semi-permanent lining supported therein. v

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for conducting away any gases that may be formed from the heating of the lower lining which may, for instance, contain moisture or water of crystallization.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for converting a casing-of the form shown in U. S. Letters Patent 1,804,204, issued May 5, 1931 to Harry J. Darlington and myself, and adapted for use with a particular form of lower lining elements, to a casing of somewhat different form adapted for use with a dilerent kind of lower lining elements, thereby rendering a single casing form usable with either type of lower lining.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with a description of those ernbodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a-vertical sectional view through a rectangular hot top embodying the invention.

i Fig. 2*is a fragmental plan view on a largerv Serial No. 511,732

Fig. 1l is a cross sectional view .taken substantially along the line ll-ll of- Fig. 8.

Figs. 12 and 13 are elevational views on a larger scale illustrating a style of fastening which I prefer to employ in those forms of the invention shown in Figs. l, 3, 5 and 8, the two views being taken at right angles to each other.

Fig. 14 is a' fragmental elevational view of a short length of auxiliary ledge such as -is disclosed in Figs. 3 and 8, viewed from the outer '75 side of the hot top.

Fig. 15 is a fragmental elevational view, partly in vertical section, illustrating a different means for detachably supporting the auxiliary ledge member.

Fig. 16 is a transverse sectional view of the same taken substantially on theiline 16-16 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 15 showing another fastening means for the auxiliary ledge.

Fig. 18 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 18-18 of Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a fragmental elevationalvview of still another fastening means, and

Fig. 20 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on the line 20-20 of Fig. 19.

In the drawings similar reference character refer to like parts throughout the views.

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive I have illustrated the invention as applied to an approximately rectangular hot t0p, wherein there is a cast iron Icasing 20 having trunnions 21 for convenience in handling, and an integral internal ledge 22 at the lower extremity .of the casing. Above the ledge 22 the casing is lined in avsuitable manner with heat insulating means, such as refractory blocks 23.

The present invention includes an auxiliary ledge member which covers and protects the inner and lower sides of the permanent ledge.22. In Figs. 1 and 2 this auxiliary ledge member is numbered 24. Its inner surface stands substantially flush with the inner surfaces of the bricks 23 and sweeps downwardly and outwardly. The upper face of the auxiliary ledge member 24 is divided by recesses 25 into an inner rim portion 26, which stands substantially ush with the upper surface of ledge 22, and an outer rim portion 27 which stands at a lower level, being adapted to engage in a suitable manner the lower surface of the ledge 22.

This auxiliary ledge member may be made in one or a plurality of pieces as desired, or as manufacturing convenience may dictate. It is fastened to the casing 20 by some suitable means which will permit detachment and replacement should the auxiliary ledge become damaged in the use of the hot top. This means of attachment is also preferably so constructed that it will fail in the event that the ledge should adhere strongly to the ingot. In that event the auxiliary ledge would remain upon the ingot when the hot top was stripped therefrom, but the ledge 22 would hold the upper lining in place nevertheless, being the primary support of the latter.

The means illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 12 and 13 for so attaching the auxiliary ledge as to accomplish these results comprises headed pins 28 having longitudinal slots 29 therein for the reception of wedges 30. When these fastenings are subjected to unusually heavy strains the relatively. thin wall of metal beyond the slot 29 gives way. The character of the metal of which these pins is constructed and the thickness of the wedge 30 can, of course, be selected so as to cause the failure of the fastenings at the desired load, it

being remembered that the pins at such time are softened considerably by the heat transferred to them from the molten metal. In securing the auxiliary ledge 24 to the fixed ledge 22 by this means, the pins 28, with their heads 31 down and their'wedges 30 removed are pushed side- Wise into undercut slots 32 formed inridges 33 joining the rim portions 26 and 27 at intervals, generally at the corners in rectangular hot tops. The ledge member 24 is then sopositiorred that the projecting pins 28 are brought into register with holes previously drilled in the ange 22, and the parts are pushed together until the rim portionl 27 engages the lower surface of the ledge 22. Then' the wedges 30 are put in place in the` slots 29 above theledge .22 and driven tightly into position. .The lining blocks 23 are of course removed from the casing whenever a new ledge is to be mounted thereon. Certain of the blocks 23 must be chipped away, as indicated at 34, in order to accommodate the upper ends of the pins 28 and the wedges 30.

In the construction of Fig. l I have employed a temporary lining element 35 consisting of a ring of sheet ymetal adapted to grip the hot top frictionallv when the lining has/been pushed into place. Other means of holding this lining element in place are within the purview of the invention, however. This lining element- 35 is provided with an outwardly and preferably upwardly inclined flange 36 constituting a mold wiper, that is an element adapted to close substantially the space between the .hot top and the mold when the hot top is lowered into place therein. kThe vlining ring 35, it will be-observe'd, extends upwardly beyond the joint betweenthe ledge 24 and the lining blocks 23. When the metal is poured the lining ring 35 adheres to the ingot, and it remains upon the ingot when the hot top is stripped therefrom. A new ring 35 therefore must be mounted upon the hot top after each casting operation.

In the form of the invention 'illustrated Ain Fig. 3 the auxiliary ledge member 37 is substantially the same in form as the ledge member 24 of Fig.

1, but it is corrugated on its inner and lower surfaces, as indicated at 38, and is provided with perforations 39 connecting the grooves formed by the corrugations with the recesses 25 and perforations 40 connecting said reces-ses with the space outside the hot top. In this form of the invention I may use a brous lower lining element 41 of the nature disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 465,389, filed July 2, 1930, for Hot top, which element may contain gas forming materials. These gases might deleteriously affect the metal of the ingot, and would certainly cause more or less agitation therein. By the provision of grooves formed by the corrugations 38 however, and the perforations 39 and 40, I provide a free path of exit for these gases into the space between the hottop and the mold wall above the mold wiper 42 formed by the projecting edge of the lining member 41. The wiper 42, by holding back the molten lmetal, keeps this space clear for the exit of gases.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a. solid auxiliary ledge 43 mounted upon the casing in any desired manner, and having an inner and lower curved sur- In the structure of Fig. 5 the auxiliary ledge 45 is preferably protected for each casting operation by a fresh coating of parting material 45. The ledge may be supported by any means adapted to fail when subjected to excessive tension in the use of the hot top, or purposely by the operator in order to remove the ledge. For instance the pins and wedges 28 and 30 heretofore described may be employed. In this form of the invention a metal wiper` strip 46 is mounted between the ledge 45 and the lower end of the casing proper.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a casing 47 which is Without any integral lower ledge member. The lining blocks 23 are supported upon the detachable ledge member 48, which is formed to come fiush with the inner surfaces of the lining blocks. This ledge may be provided at intervals with recesses 49 to reduce the amountv of metal employed, as an aid to heat radiation and for helping to prevent warpage. It is held in place by a series of pins 50 which are mounted in holes drilled in the casing 47 and in lsockets in the ledge member registering with the holes in the casing. The pins 50, as shown in Fig. 7, are preferably reduced in cross section, as indicated at 51, at a point corresponding to the juncture of the casing and ledge, so` that whenever any unusually heavy strains tend to separate the ledge from the casing, failure of the pins will loccur at these points. In this case I havey shown the inner surface of the ledge member smooth and covered with a temporary lining 52 of metal having an integral wiper strip 53',-; ut obviously a temporary lining of other material ,could be employed if desired, and the provision for the escape of gases previously described could also be employed.

In Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 1l I have illustrated an auxiliary ledge member numbered 54 in Fig. 8, similar in most respects to that illustrated in Fig. 3, but designed for use upon an approximately round hot top. Of course, it will be understood that the invention may be applied to hot tops of practically any desired shape. In this constructionuthere are a series of recesses 55, an inner continuous rim portion 56 adapted to stand flush with the permanent ledge upon the hot top casing, and an outer lower rim portion 57 adapted to contact with the under surface of the permanent ledge. At intervals there are bridging portions 58, similar to the bridging portions 33 of Fig. 2, in which are formed the undercut slots 32 for the reception of the pins 28, in the same manner as in the case' of Figs. 1 and 2. The curved inner and lower surface of the ledge is corrugated, as at 59, to correspond with the corrugations 38 previously referred to, and the grooves between corrugations are connected with the recesses 55 by holes 39', while the recesses are connected with the outer side of the ledge member by holes 40', these holes corresponding in location and function with the holes 39 and 40 previously referred to.

In Figs. and 16 I have shown another means for securing the auxiliary ledge to the casing. In these figures the casing is shown at 60, the integral ledge at 61, and the auxiliary ledge at 62. The auxiliary ledge is provided at intervals with upturned sockets 63 into which may be projected hooks 64 on the lower extremities of rods 65 which are set flush into vertical grooves in the lower portion of the casing. The rods 65 have hooked upper ends which take into the hooked lower ends of bolts 66, the latter being mounted -in slotted bosses 67 projecting from the surface of the casing. These fastenings can of course be released at any time by loosening the nuts on bolts 66. The hooks 63 can also be so constituted that they will bend or break when e an excessive load is imposed upon them, thereby releasing the auxiliary ledge from the casing.

In Figs. 1'1 and 13 a different form of fastening is illustrated, consisting of what might be termed a fiat dumb-bell, that is to say a cast metal clip having round ends 67 and a connecting element 68 of smaller cross section. This clip is set into registering depressions formed in the casing and auxiliary ledge to receive it. Ends 67 rest at their peripheries against the bottom of the circular depressions, but the depressions beneath the connecting elements 68 are deep enough to leave a space behind that element of say oneeighth of an inch. Whenever it becomes necessary or desirable to remove a ledge-62 held by these fastenings, the portions 68 of the clips may be struck with a hammer or other tool and readily broken. When the ledge has been removed in this manner a pointed tool may be insertedI behind the fragments of the clip in order to pry them out of their sockets. The connecting portions 68 of the clips being of relatively small cross section may be broken also when subjected to unusually heavy strains in the handling of the hot top, so as to release the hot top and leave the auxiliary ledge upon the ingot in case it adheres to the ingot as for example when it becomes badly fire-cracked and the metal of the ingot flows into the crevices thus produced.

These various fastening means just described may, of course, be employed interchangeably in any of the forms of the invention previously described herein.

It will be understood that any of the ledge constructions herein disclosed may be applied to hot tops of any cross sectional shape.

In the foregoing description I have necessarily gone somewhat into detail in order to explain fully the particular embodiments of the invention herein illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that such detail disclosures are not to be construed as amounting to limitations, ex ept as they may be included in the appended c1 xms.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A metal casing for a hot top, comprising an internal ledge, and a, metal auxiliary ledge member extending around the inner andk lower surfaces of said first named ledge.

2. A metal casing for a hop top, comprising an internal ledge, a metal auxiliary ledge member extending inwardly from said internal ledge, and means for detachably supporting-said auxiliary ledge member.

3. A metal casing for a hot top, comprising an internal ledge, and a metal auxiliary ledge member flush with said rst named ledge and extending downwardly around the inner and lower surfaces of said rst named ledge, and means for detachably supporting said auxiliary ledge member.

4. A metal casing for a hot top, comprising an internal-ledge, and a metal auxiliary ledge member flush with said first named ledge and extending downwardly around the inner and lower surfaces of said first named ledge, and means for detachably supporting said auxiliary ledge member, said supporting means constituting the weakest part of the structure stated.

5.' A metal casing for a hot top, comprising an internal ledge, for the support of lining elements,

said ledge comprising a portion integral with the body of the casing, and a se'cond detachably supported metal portion covering the inner and lower surfaces of said integral portion and protecting the same.

6. A metal casing for a hot top, comprising an internal ledge, for the support of lining elements, said ledge comprising a portion integral with the body of the casing, and a second metal portion covering the inner and lower surfaces of said integral portion for the protection of the latter, an'd frangible means for detachably securipg saidsecond portion to said integral portion.

7. In a hot top, a metalV casing having an internal ledge for the support of lining elements, said ledge comprising a portion integral with the body of the casing, a second metalportion covering the inner and lower surfaces of said integral portion f or the protection of the latter, said second portion being detachably secured to said integral portion, and a preformed lining element covering the inner and lower surfaces of said detachably supported ledge.

8. In a hot top, a metal casing having an internal ledge for the support of lining elements, said ledge comprising a portion integral with the body of the casing, a vsecond metal portion covering the inner and lower surfaces of said integral portion for the protection of the latter, said second portion being detachably secured to said integral portion, and a lining element covering the inner and lower surfaces of said detachably supported ledge, said lining element extending upwardly beyond the joint between said ledge and the upper lining supported thereby and terminating short of the upper end of the hot top.

9. In a hot top of the floating type, a lower end portion adapted to rest upon the ingot when poured, a combined lining and mold wiper covering the said lower end portion to protect it from the` molten metal, said end portion lhaving openings therethrough to connect its inner surface with the space between the hot top and mold wall above said wiper, the inner surface of said lower end portion having depressions therein for conducting gases to said openings.

10. In a hot top, a lower end portion having depressions in its inner surface, a lining covering said end portion for protecting the same against the molten metal, said end portion having openings therethrough connecting said depressions with the outer side of the hot top.

11. In a hot top, a lower end portion, lining covering said end portion for protecting the same against the molten metal, the joint between said lining and end portion containing a series of grooves, and said end portion having openings therethrough connecting said grooves 5 with the outer side of the hot top.

12. A metal casing for a hot top comprising an internal ledge and a metal auxiliary ledge member extending around the lower surface of said rst named ledge.

13. A metal casing for a hot top comprising an internal ledge, a metallic auxiliary ledge member extending around'the inner and lower surfaces of said first named ledge, and means for detachably supporting said auxiliary ledge member.

14. A metal casing for a hot top comprising an internal ledge, a metallic auxiliary ledge member extending around the inner and lower surfaces of said first named ledge, and means for detachably supporting said auxiliary ledge member, said supporting means constituting the weakest part of the structure stated.

15. In a hot top of the floating type a lower end portion adapted to rest upon the ingot when poured, a lining covering said lower end portion, and means for conducting gases evolved by heat from said lining to the exterior of the hot top, comprising grooves formed in the joint between the said lining and the lower end portion of the hot top, extending transversely of the hot top wall.

WALTER M. CHARMAN. 

